The present invention relates to a disk device and more particularly to a disk device which permits plurality of disks to be operated selectively without using a removable magazine.
FIG. 172 is a sectional side view of a conventional disk device which permits plurality of disks to be operated selectively and FIG. 173 is a sectional view of a principal portion thereof.
In FIGS. 172 and 173, the reference numeral 1 denotes a magazine in which disks for replacement are stored and 2 denotes a disk rotation driving section. The disk rotation driving section 2 is made up of a disk rotating motor 3, a disk clamping hub 13 mounted on a shaft of the motor 3, a disk damper 4, a disk roller 6 for sending out a disk 8 delivered by an actuating lever 5 to the disk rotation driving section 2, the actuating lever 5 being mounted within the magazine 1 and driven by a driving means (not shown), a drive shaft 9 fixed to a housing 7 which supports the disk rotation driving section 2, a swash plate cam 10 which is:operated in the directions of A in FIG. 172 by the driving means, and upper and lower guide plates 11.
In this conventional disk device, when calling any one of plurality of disks stored in the magazine 1, the drive shaft 9, the swash plate cam 10, and the upper and lower guide plates 11 are interlocked with one another, causing the disk rotation driving section 2 to move in an arrow B direction and allowing it to be located at a desired disk position within the magazine 1.
In such a conventional disk device, the disks stored in the magazine 1 and the disk rotating on the disk rotation driving section 2 are completely independent of each other in a plane area, thus it gives a rise to the problem that the length, i.e., size D, of the disk device increases.
In order to solve the aforementioned problem, there has been proposed, for example, such a disk device as is disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Sho 63-200354(1988). FIGS. 174 and 175 are sectional side views of a principal portion of this disk device and FIG. 176 is a sectional top view thereof.
In FIGS. 174, 175, and 176, reference numeral 19 denotes a magazine in which disks for replacement are stored, 21 denotes a disk rotating motor, 22 denotes a disk clamping hub mounted on a shaft of the motor 21, and 23 denotes a disk clamper.
Reference numeral 26 denotes a disk roller for sending out a disk 25 delivered by an actuating lever 24 to a disk rotation driving section, the actuating lever 24 being driven by driving means (not shown), and 27 denotes a driven roller opposed to the disk roller 26.
Indicated at 32 are a pair of swash plate cams adapted to engage a plurality of trays 31 accommodated within the magazine 19 and operate on the disk rotation driving section 20 so as to create a gap E during planar movement of the disk, the gap E being at least not smaller than the disk thickness and formed in a rotational axis direction of the disk 25 selected by a magazine moving means (not shown).
The disk rotation driving section 20 is made up of a disk rotating motor 21, a disk clamping hub 22, a disk damper 23, an actuating lever 24, a disk 25, a disk roller 26, a driven roller 27, and the swash plate cam 32.
The operation of this disk device will be described below.
When calling any of plurality of disks 25 stored in the magazine 19, the magazine is moved in an arrow F direction in FIG. 174 by driving means and a desired disk position is established within the magazine.
Then, the actuating lever 24 in the magazine 19 operates, the disk 25 slides on a disk guide portion 35 formed within the magazine, and a front end of the disk 25 comes into engagement between the disk roller 26 and the driven roller 27 in the disk rotation driving section 20. Then, with rotational movement of the disk roller 26, the disk 25 is conveyed to the position of the disk damper 23 and the disk clamping hub 22 mounted on the shaft of the disk rotating motor 21. Subsequently, the position where the disk 25 is to be clamped is confirmed by a disk detecting means (not shown), and the disk clamper, as well as the disk roller 26 and the driven roller 27, are moved toward the disk clamping hub 22 by driving means, whereby the disk 25 is clamped.
Simultaneously with the movement of the driven roller 27 toward the disk clamping hub 22, the pair of swash plate cams 32 provided in the disk rotation driving section 20 are moved to the magazine 19 side by driving means, causing trays 31 to tilt so that an appropriate gap E is formed as shown in FIG. 175.
A disk device (in-dash type disk device) provided in the interior thereof with a disk storing mechanism is proposed, for example, in Japanese Laid Open Patent Hei 10-208361(1998). FIG. 177 is an entire structure diagram of this proposed disk device and FIG. 178 is a structure diagram showing the structure of an internal principal portion of the disk device.
In FIG. 177, reference numeral 1 denotes a front panel, which is attached to a bottom plate 2. On a front side of the front panel 1 are provided various operating units 3-6 and a display unit 7.
Reference numeral 8 denotes an outer case which covers a disk changer, 9 denotes an insulator provided on the bottom plate 2, 10 denotes a main tray projected from an opening la of the front panel 1, and 11 denotes a sub-tray capable of sliding in the direction of arrow P or Q while being guided by the main tray 10. Onto the sub-tray 11 is fed a disk 12 after replacement.
FIG. 178 shows a principal portion in the interior of the disk device. According to the structure illustrated in the same figure, a group of spacers supported by a disk holding means are driven by a vertical driving means, an arbitrary disk is selected out of a group of disks and is conveyed up to a recording/reproducing position by a horizontal conveyance means. Further, with a rise reset means, the disk is prevented from coming off from a spacer on both spindles. Likewise, with a disk pressing means, the disk is prevented from coming off from the spacer, and with a spacer anti-dislodgment means, the dislodgment of the spacer from a lower spindle is prevented.
In the conventional disk devices which are not the in-dash type, it is necessary to use a magazine case and hence it is impossible to load and unload disks selectively one by one; besides, an increase in size of the disk device results. Moreover, since a portable magazine case is used, it is technically difficult to disassemble each disk storing rack within the disk device, so when forming a gap between a disk to be reproduced and a disk opposed thereto and when the gap is to be made large because it is only one end that can be opened, there arises the necessity of forming a space within the disk device correspondingly to the size of gap, thus leading to an increase in size of the disk device.
Further, since a portable magazine case is used, it is extremely difficult to separate the disk storing racks from one another with each disk storing rack inclined within the disk device.
In the conventional in-dash type disk device, when a disk is to be held within the disk device, the disk is conveyed and held with only the rotational movement force of a roller serving as a disk conveying means until the disk reaches a disk holding section through a disk inlet. With this configuration, the disk is apt to become unstable during the conveyance thereof, and at the worst the disk comes into abutment against a component within the disk device and then it is damaged.
In the conventional in-dash type disk device, when a disk is to be supported, that is, when a spacer for supporting a disk is to be fixed, for example at the time of replacing a disk stored within the disk device or at the time of reproducing a disk, shaft portions provided at upper and lower positions of the disk device are coupled together, thereafter, pawl portions formed on an outer periphery of a disk holding means adapted to slide within the shaft portions are fixedly projected from holes formed in the shaft portions at predetermined positions. According to this structure, each time a disk is to be stowed or replaced and reproduced it is necessary to let the pawl portions project from the shaft portions or perform a stowing operation, thus it gives a rise to problem that much time is required for the operation.
Further, in the conventional type disk device, although spacers are disposed so that each is positioned between adjacent disks, they are not for holding disks, so disks become unstable, and when vibration or the like is imposed on the disk device, a disk tilts and comes into abutment against another disk, resulting in damage of the disk.
Additionally, for judging the contents of disk operation in the conventional disk device, it is necessary to provide a complicated switch mechanism, so that the assembling performance is deteriorated and the number of components of a link mechanism, etc. increases, thus leading to an increase of cost.
In view of the foregoing, the present invention has been made and it is an object of the invention to provide a disk device structured such that a plurality of disks are stored without using a removable magazine and each operated independently, that is, each disk is loaded and unloaded selectively or performs operation such as a reproducing operation, to thereby attain a reduction in size.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a disk device structured such that a disk storing position and a disk reproducing position are established at one and the same rotary shaft with respect to the direction of loading and unloading a disk, to thereby attain the saving of space.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a disk device wherein at the time of loading or unloading a disk, a part of the disk is supported by a plurality of support portions, thereby making it possible to prevent damage of the disk.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a disk device capable of shortening the operation time by performing a plurality of operations at a time.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a disk device improved in vibration resistance and so suitable for a moving body apt to under go vibrations, especially an automobile.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a less expensive disk device sharing components.
Further, by making it possible to set a plurality of operation modes in an existing structure, there can be attained multiple functions while reducing the number of components.
A disk device according to the present invention is characterized by that when a disk held by a first and a second disk holding means is reproduced, a disk reproducing means is moved to become a center of the disk coincident with a center of turntable thereof, the first disk holding means is moved downward to load the disk on the disk reproducing means, then a disk clamping means is moved to clamp the disk loaded on the disk reproducing means, and the disk is reproduced after the first and second disk holding means are taken away from the disk held by them. Because the disk device has a structure as above described, a thickness of the disk reproducing mechanism can be reduced to intend reducing of a size of the device.
Further, the disk device is characterized by that the disk reproducing means and the disk clamping means are retracted to be positioned near a side wall of housing of the device when a disk reproducing operation is not performed and they move toward the disk held by the first and second disk holding means when the disk reproducing operation is to be performed. Because the disk device has a structure as above described, spaces of the disk reproducing mechanism can be practically and effectively used to intend reducing a size of the device.
Additionally, the disk device is characterized by that when the disk held by the first and second disk holding means is reproduced, the disk reproducing means is moved toward the disk held by the first and second disk holding means to become a center of the disk coincident with a center of turntable thereof, the first disk holding means is moved downward to load the disk on the disk reproducing means, then the disk clamping means is moved toward the disk held by the first and second disk holding means to clamp the disk loaded on the disk reproducing means, and the disk is reproduced after the first and second disk holding means are taken away from the disk held by them. Because the disk device has a structure as above described, spaces of the disk reproducing mechanism can be practically and effectively used to intend reducing a size of the device.